The House of Representatives, on Thursday, urged security agencies to rescue about 200 women reportedly kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists in the Gamboru-Ngala and Dikwa local government areas of Borno State.
The women, who were Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), were said to have been kidnapped while they went into the bush in search of firewood.
While residents put the number of the abducted women at about 101, the United Nations, on Wednesday, said it believed the figure was over 200.
“The exact number of people abducted remains unknown but is estimated at over 200 people”, Head of Public Information, Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN in Nigeria, Ann Weru said.
Moving a motion on a matter of urgent public importance on the floor of the House on Thursday, the lawmaker representing Bama/Ngala/Kalabalge Federal Constituency of Borno State, Zainab Gimba, described the abduction as worrisome, liking it with the April 2014 abduction of school girls in Chibok.
She said, “I want to bring to the notice of the House that about 300 women were abducted while fetching firewood for domestic and commercial purposes in my constituency.
“I am calling on security agencies to, as a matter of urgency, see to the rescue of these women who went in search of their daily bread.
“The House notes that this is the second biggest number of abductions after the Chibok girls abduction that took place in 2014 even though, some of those girls are still in captivity”.
In his remarks, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary session, described the incident as a sad development and called on security agents to step up their search for the abducted women.
“We, as a House, are pained that the families of the abducted persons are going through what they are going through at the moment
“In the spirit of the International Women’s Day Celebration tomorrow (Friday), we pray that these women and those still in captivity be freed from their abductors.
“There is no better way to celebrate the Women’s Day without calling for the protection and release of these women”, Kalu said.
Following the resolution of the House, the motion was referred to the Committee on Defence and National Emergency Management Agency.
The 7 Division Nigerian Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Ajemusu Jingina said on Wednesday that the troops had begun a search for the abducted women.
“Troops have already been dispersed to far into the wilderness in search and rescue operations; the air component of the troops are also hovering around the wilderness for the search and rescue”, Jingina said.
“Times without number, we have warned the IDPs never to go out of the sight of security agents but they would never heed.
“Last Sunday, in the typical obstinacy of IDPs, these guys strayed out to as far as 25 kilometres from Ngala just to collect firewood; they were already in danger of any attack by the terrorists”, Jingina told newsmen angrily.
